Social Sleep Among Humans and Animals Is a New “Research Frontier”

Scientists are beginning to focus on the effects of social sleep among humans and animals. Veuer’s Matt Hoffman reports.

Transcript

00:00Should we spend the night together? It's a hot topic in the scientific community.

00:04A paper published in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution in September argued

00:08that social sleeping should be examined more closely in studies of animal sleep habits.

00:13The paper noted several species whose sleep is affected by the presence of their cohort.

00:17For example, olive baboons sleep less as their group size increases.

00:21Bumblebees sleep less when their offspring are around.

00:24And mice can synchronize their REM cycles when sleeping in groups,

00:28though those cycles can also become more fragmented.

00:31An article published Tuesday in The Conversation argues that we should

00:34apply this open-minded spirit of inquiry to human sleep habits as well.

00:38The article points out that while most people in the West expect to only sleep

00:41alone or with a romantic partner, that's not the case throughout the world.

00:45For example, in parts of South America, Asia, and Africa,

00:48caregivers and infants sleep together at rates as high as 60 to 100 percent.

00:52And customs were quite different throughout history as well.

00:55The BBC highlights a time in the 12th century when England's Richard the Lionheart cemented

01:00a peace treaty with France by sleeping in the same bed as that country's Philip II.

01:05This is a field of study which could have many fresh insights to offer.

01:08The authors of the Trends in Ecology and Evolution paper say,

01:11social sleep is a research frontier that we believe holds exciting potential

01:15for new insights into both sleep science and wild animals' lives.